PHILIPPINE TERPENES AND ESSENTIAL OILS, III. 



113 



The grass from the same plot was again cut about four months later ( November 

 23, 1908) and yielded 230 kilos, giving on distillation 467 grams of oil of the 



following properties : Specific gravity, ^ =0.8841; N?2! =1.4765; A?^=-|-2.1; 



citral=77 per cent; Schimmel's test passes the oil. 



Singalong station plot. — 134 square meters planted on November 6, 1907, and 

 cut July 27, 1908, gave 545 kilos grass which distilled immediately gave 1,145 



grams (0.21 per cent) oil of the following properties: Specific gravity,2^=0.891; 



4° 



N5^ = 1.4812; A_=-f7.76; oitral=78 per cent; Schimmel's test passes the oil. 



All of these oils were distilled with steam in this laboratory and were of a 

 very light yellow color when first distilled. It was noted that on standing in 

 colorless, glass-stoppered bottles in the light, they darken to a brown color in a 

 few months. 



Three hundred and, thirty- five grams of the Singalong oil were distilled in vacuo 

 at 16 millimeters and gave the followinsr fractions: 



No. 



1 

 2 

 3 

 4 



5 

 6 



Boiling 

 point. 



Quantity. 



N^properties. 



Degrees. 



Up to 118 

 118-121 

 121-124 

 124-127 

 127-133 



Residue. 



Grams. 

 20 

 02 

 65 

 63 

 58 

 53 



1.4681 colorless. 

 1.4808 colorless. 

 1.4810 colorless. 

 1.4813 colorless. 

 1.4820 slightly yellow. 

 Dark, thick resin. 



None of the fractions 1 to 5 showed any optical rotation^ and united 

 they gave an ahuost colorless, very fragrant oil, which was completely 

 soluble in 65 per cent alcohol. The resinous residue, saponified with 

 alcoholic potash, gave considerable quantities of higher boiling, fatty 

 acids, and a thick, neutral oil which to judge from the odor, probably 

 contained geraniol. The results of our experiments would seem to show, 

 assuming, as the young leaves contain a higher per cent of oil than the 

 old ones, at least three cuttings of the grass per year, that a yield of from 

 240 to 300 kilos of oil per hectare can be obtained on good ground in the 

 Philippines. Considering that the demand for this oil is increasing (due 

 partially to the expiration of the ionone patents), I think lemon grass 

 should be considered as a possible catch crop for the first few years of 

 new Philippine plantations. As large stills are necessary, I would suggest 

 that these be built of reenforced concrete on the place. This can be 

 done by any intelligent manager at a much cheaper price than it is 

 possible to purchase metal stills and they can be set up on the ground. For 

 a permanent crop, I do not recommend lemon grass because of the present 

 limited demand for the oil. The grass from which the oil has been 

 distilled is dried and burned under the distilling boilers, and the ashes 

 are distributed over the fields for fertilizing purposes. The exhausted 



